28 thoughts on “In My Kitchen…August 2012”

You have some very interesting and delicious items in your kitchen. The tea cozies are great for keeping your tea pot hot. Home made vanilla is the best! That is one good looking loaf of rye bread. Yours is the best I’ve eaten. Really I like most things in your kitchen.

Oh, my mother always made cabbage rolls and I haven’t cooked them for decades! Yours look yummy! Those nuts in honey sound delicious! And you have reminded me also that I want to make my own vanilla essence… I have a packet of very fat beans just waiting to be preserved. Happy cooking and thank you for sharing.

Hi Lizzy-
I am planning on making some of the roasted nuts in honey for Christmas gifts- because really- it is so celebratory! Just a teaspoon a day makes my heart and mouth sing!
Thanks for stopping by- I love hearing from everyone!

Heidi,
I think of all the places in the world that I would like to be, and I do believe your kitchen would be my favorite place to hang out. Thank you for sharing all of your recipes and ideas. You are one talented woman. Miss you and love you.

Donna- thank you. That is very humbling to hear- I love to hang out in the kitchens of the people I love! I miss and love you, too- we should have another appetizer or dessert get together with recipes to taste and share. That would be great fun!

Roasted nuts in honey! Heidi, I love it! And did you weave that basket around the loaf, or just brilliantly bake a loaf that was exactly the right size to fit in? Cabbage rolls are one of my favourite things that my Hungarian neighbour June makes, and the maple syrups look like liquid amber! Wonderful things in your kitchen this month, thanks for always sharing them with us! xxx

I found that basket years ago, and the loaf pan that fits the bread to that size just a couple of months ago- but I do love them together! Thanks for noticing!
And the nuts in honey? Really really delicious. I shared a taste with my niece, Allyson, today and was delighted to see that look come upon her face. You know the one where you just tasted something so new and good that it’s like you’ve been searching for just that flavor most of your life? That look. Because they are that good.

Hi Heidiannie, Gee those nuts in honey look good, no wonder they are half gone already. They would be all gone by now in my house:) How you you make your vanilla essence? As you know, I have a few beans to use.

Well, the story of my vanilla know how came about because I hate most of the vanilla that is sold as an extract. I wanted to get some beans and just scrape the seeds out and use them. Then I read an article about a woman in West Virginia who made her vanilla essence from bourbon and beans.
My niece and I went out for dinner and tried some shots of vodka- because it has such a clean clear look and no distracting flavors. It was a very enjoyable dinner and we decided on Grey Goose because it was the smoothest of the brands they had in stock.
Then we got the beans- and I roughed them up a bit- and placed about a dozen beans in a quart bottle of vodka. Shake it up every other day for about 2 weeks and then let it set for a month or so- it will darken as the flavor is set- then decant into smaller bottles. At first I was impatient and couldn’t wait so I mixed my vanilla with a really good Mexican vanilla I found- it has a warm cinnamon spicy flavor on the side. But then- when I’d used up that bottle I found that the extra month or so had deepened the flavor and color of my own essence and I’ve been using it ever since. I’ve opened up a couple of the beans and let the seeds steep in the vodka over time, keeping that bottle always half full and using it when I wanted the fleck of seed in the final product. I strain the rest of the vanilla through a fine cheesecloth and put it into smaller bottles.
This probably way more than you wanted to hear- but I do love making the vanilla as much as using it

I am a big fan of homemade vanilla extract too. There has been a bottle (several actually) going for well over a decade now. Since I buy vanilla in bulk, there is a never ending supply for all sorts of projects.
Great tea cozies! Thanks for sharing your kitchen.

Hi Pam-
Love hearing from you- I think there are quite a few of us out there buying up liquor and vanilla beans and making our own.
I really enjoy these IMK posts- it is a quiet network of food, gadget, kitchen loving souls who like to share.
🙂

Hi Heidi, you always have the most wonderful things in your kitchen! I haven’t enjoyed cabbage rolls for years, think I need to revisit the idea, thanks for the reminder. My husband would love your roasted nuts in honey – I should look out to see if I can find a similar product here.
🙂 Mandy

Hi Mandy,
Thanks for stopping by and taking time to comment!
I wish I could find the nuts in honey locally. I’m going to experiment on making some for Christmas and gifts. This is totally delicious.
The cabbage rolls turned out really well- I might do a post on them.

What a clever use of the Vodka bottles. I made some honey and nut jars for gifts last year and they make such a lovely addition for breakfasts and to top cakes off with. Thank you for letting us visit in your kitchen 🙂

Hi Tandy-
Thanks for stopping by!
I’d love to make some of those jars up!
Did you roast the nuts first- and where they still warm when you added the honey? I like the mix of nuts in these- pepitas,sesame seeds, almonds, walnuts,cashews,walnuts, hazelnuts, and pecans- I’m thinking of adding the honey warmed to the nuts straight from the oven.

Hi Martha!
It has been a while since I made cabbage rolls- they were delicious.
The honey in that jar is quite thick, so I’m looking for just the right honey, as well as figuring out the preparation of the nuts beforehand.

I love that you are making your own vanilla! You have now reminded me that I need to get going with that for holiday gifts this year (so sad that I am thinking of this in 100 degree weather…) And I bet that sourdough loaf was gone in 2 seconds. It looked delicious :0

Hi Emilie!
Home made vanilla is a wonderful gift.
This has been one long HOT summer- but I’m also knitting hats and scarves for Christmas gifts- you have to get a jump on it if it is going to be done in time for giving! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by- I love comments.